Vehicle wheels are often scraped and damaged when a driver is attempting to park or manoeuvre a car close to a kerb. The scraping of a wheel against a kerb is known as “kerbing” or “kerb rash”.
Damage caused by kerbing is unsightly, and can also be expensive to repair. In cars with hubcaps attached to the wheel, the hubcap can be removed and replaced for a reasonable price. For wheels without hubcaps however, particularly alloy wheels, any damage caused to the wheel will be very expensive to repair, and in some cases may require the entire wheel to be replaced. In alloy wheels with low profile tyres, this damage may also be increased, as the cushioning effect is significantly reduced, making it more likely for kerbing to occur.
A number of attempts have been made to address the above problem. GB 2,397,561 describes a device for protecting a wheel rim that includes an elongate member that can extend around the rim of a wheel and is connected together at first and second ends of the member. This device has two flanges, the first of which is inserted between the tyre and the wheel rim and a the second of which acts to protect the outer rim of the wheel from scraping. This device has a number of disadvantages. Dirt and debris such as small stones may easily accumulate in the space between the tyre and the device. The device is also formed such that the portion of the device that extends from the outermost edge of the rim over the tyre is likely to catch on passing objects. This can result in either the entire device being pulled from the wheel, or damage to either the device (so it is not able to properly protect the wheel) or to the object that the device has contacted.
GB 2,398,765 describes a flap that is attached to a tyre or wheel to protect the wheel from kerb damage. The flap is located on either the tyre or wheel and extends over the rim—the flap is secured at its outer perimeter and the inner perimeter of the flap can be lifted to expose the rim. The use of a flap goes some way to protecting the wheel from kerbing, however it has a number of disadvantages. As above, dirt and debris may accumulate underneath the flap, and the non-secured portions of the flap may catch on passing objects and potentially pull the flap from the wheel. Additionally, at high speeds, air being forced under the flap can generate unwanted noise from each of the tyres or wheels on which the flap is attached.
A further problem also arises when a tyre or wheel needs to be replaced. Each of the above mentioned prior art devices is likely to need to be removed in order to properly remove and replace either the tyre or the wheel.
It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems associated with known wheel protection devices or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.
All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.
Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.